Every seventh day Father Thrift rested. To-day was Sunday, the seventh
day.
Father Thrift, as usual, arose just as the gray clouds were bidding
the earth good-by.
How that queer little old man did enjoy those summer mornings!
Not many people get up early enough to know what they are like.
It is then that the birds sing for Father Sun to awake. And the chorus
of thanksgiving which arises from the woods and the fields is enough
to gladden any one's heart.
Every boy and girl should learn to know these beautiful morning hours.
But this morning the dark clouds lingered longer than usual. That was
because they had brought the raindrops from their home in the sky to
visit the earth below.
The flowers lifted their grateful heads to greet the raindrops.
The thirsty roots under the ground were made glad by them. And so were
the leaves and the buds and all the growing green things above the
ground.
The frogs jumped about in their glee and croaked joyfully, "Oh, what
fun we have!"
The brook rushed rejoicing to the river, and the river ran to the sea.
And both sang on their way.
But the birds and the squirrels were not so happy when the raindrops
came tumbling down from the sky. They hid in their nests and under the
leaves of the trees and waited for them to go away.
Even Shaggy Bear did not like the rain. He hid in the cave, to keep
his fur dry.
Now the time was drawing near when most people were waking--that is,
in the cities. The farmer has learned to know the beautiful early
hours of the morning.
"Let us play," cried a tiny raindrop to the others. "Let us play and
stay here always. For the earth is a beautiful place."
But the older and wiser raindrops trickled away and hid almost
anywhere they could.
Some of them hid in Father Thrift's garden. Some of them jumped into
the brook.
They knew they were sent down to the earth to do some good, and not to
spend their time in playing. They had plenty of time in the sky for
play.
So if they wished to stay on the earth they must work.
The little raindrops that hid in Father Thrift's garden would help to
make the plants grow.
Those that jumped into the brook would help to give a good cool drink
to all who were thirsty.
Then Father Sun came out from behind the gray clouds.
"Come, little raindrops, down on earth," he said. "Those of you that
are not busy, or are not needed there, must come home. You have
important work to do elsewhere."
And, like the good father that he was, he gathered up all that he
could find and put them into pretty white and blue boats. And the wind
gently sailed them across the sky.
Then the Rain Fairies and the Sun Fairies joined hands until they made
a beautiful arch from earth to heaven.
We call this arch the rainbow. The gay colors are the pretty dresses
of the fairies.
Now the birds of the forest came forth from their nests. They
fluttered their little wings and sent the raindrops which had rested
on them down to the flowers and the grasses.
Then they flew into the tree tops, where Father Sun could see them.
And, as though to make up for lost time, they sang more sweetly than
they did on clear days.
How their songs gladdened the forest!
Father Thrift sat on a log to listen to that orchestra of a thousand
throats trilling from the tree tops.
And Shaggy Bear came out from the cave and sat down beside him.
"A pretty world it would be without the birds!" said Father Thrift.
"How dull it would be without their colors! The rainbow cannot match
them.
"How cheerless it would be without their song! Man cannot equal it."
And you may be sure that Father Thrift and Shaggy Bear did not forget
the birds in their prayers that night.